Balebina Klavdiia, Hurska Yevheniia

Klavdiia Balebina and Bliuma Shvartsman lived in Odesa. The women were close friends, had a similar fate. Both were orphaned early and were brought up together in an orphanage. Over the years, their friendship became stronger, but the real test of strength was during the German-Soviet war.

The city was occupied by German and Romanian troops on October 16, 1941. Already a week after the occupation, mass executions of Jews were recorded. Bliuma Shvartsman and her son Leonid moved to the ghetto by order of the new authorities. Over the next two months, Klavdiia periodically visited her friend and gave her food. The women were looking for an opportunity to escape. In January 1943, such an opportunity appeared. Having bribed a Jewish guard, Bliuma and her son left the territory of the ghetto. Klavdiia was already waiting for her, who in the meantime had prepared a small hiding place. Her house stood almost in the center of the city, and the entrance to the apartment was only from the inner courtyard, which was used by several families. Klavdiia had a personal pantry in the house, so she equipped it for the fugitives. The room was not heated, so occasionally Bliuma and the child went up to the house to wash and warm up. During the raids, it was necessary to sit almost without air. To hide the door of the closet, Klavdiia covered it with junk.

Neighbor Yevheniia Hurska helped Klavdiia hide and keep Jews. She brought medicine and food, periodically took Leonid to her children. For two years, Bliuma and her son were under the care of Ukrainian women.

After the war, the friendship was even stronger. Even after emigrating to the USA, Bliuma and Leonid did not stop supporting their saviors and their children.

In 1998, Yad Vashem recognized Klavdiia Balebina and Yevheniia Hurska as Righteous Among the Nations.

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